skip navigation

P: Passing & Receiving

You may hear professional players say “there’s no such thing as a bad pass to a good player.” While that may be true, it’s still important to develop both the ability to receive deftly and pass accurately.

The 12U age group is an ideal development stage for honing both abilities. By this age, most players can competently sweep the puck in the general direction of a teammate. Now it’s time for them to begin sharpening that focus. The tape is the target now, not the general direction of a teammate. Players should also begin recognizing whether their intended target is a right- or left-handed shooter, and then place their passes accordingly.

Accountability among players and coaches is the real key to refined passing and receiving skills. Close is no longer close enough at 12U and beyond. Taking aim and hitting the target must become the expectation. Passes must be given and received with a higher level of focus and intent.

But even with that increased focus, and even at the professional level, passes sometimes go astray. As receivers, 12U players should begin taking more responsibility to coral these wayward pucks.

In baseball, if you can get a glove on the ball, you are expected to catch it. In football if the receiver can get a hand on the ball, he is expected to catch it. So why would this expectation be any different in hockey? If the pass is within reach, players must find a way to collect it. This is an expectation that coaches should begin instilling among 12U players.

Professional players understand that teammates are going to be under duress in games and the pass won’t always be on the tape. They know it’s their responsibility to collect the puck as cleanly as possible so that they can advance the play. It’s also characteristic of being a good, accountable teammate. Conversely, good, accountable teammates must also focus on setting their intended target up for success by putting the puck in the right spot.

So how does a coach begin instilling the on-target mindset at 12U? It starts with the basics. Many teams practice passing drills with zero resistance, no opposition. Once players have the basic technical skills in place, the expectation should become a 100-percent success rate in these zero-resistance drills. Coaches should install this goal among their 12U players, along with the skills to achieve it. Their commitment to the 100-percent success rate puts players in the right mindset for a quality practice. It also positions them for greater success on gameday.